Military spending surges in Europe and Asia, pushing world to levels not seen in 16 years, report says

Source: CNN World

PUBLISHED Apr 27, 2026, 3:42 AM ET


Global military spending surged by almost 3% in 2025, fueled largely by ballooning defense expenditures in Europe and Asia, according to a report released Monday by a respected arms watchdog group.

European defense spending jumped 14% from 2024, to $864 billion, and in Asia-Oceania the increase was 8.1%, to $681 billion, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its annual “Trends in World Military Expenditure” report.

Overall, almost $2.9 trillion was spent on military programs around the world in 2025, a 2.9% increase from a year earlier. The figure represents 2.5% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), the highest percentage since 2009, according to SIPRI.

The US, China, Russia, Germany and India were the biggest spenders, collectively accounting for 58% of the global sum.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/27/world/world-military-spending-report-sipri-intl-hnk-ml